That's Amore!
by flashpenguin
Summary: Pen is planning a romantic dinner for Morgan, when an unexpected guest named Murphy's Law shows up to help - with disasterous consequences. Pure fluff alert!


_My first exploration into the Morgan/Garcia pairing. I know it's a little weak, but they are such a cute couple I tried to do them a little justice. Even though I have written them separate for some stories with a little conversation here and there, this is my attempt at an actual pairing story. Please let me know how I did._

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_Song prompt: "That's Amore" by Dean Martin_

_I don't own Criminal Minds._

**That's Amore**

Garcia had never been what one would consider Suzy Homemaker. Hell, her knowledge of kitchen utensils ended at the stove, microwave, and fridge. If it didn't come frozen, microwavable, or in a can, she didn't even try to tackle it. The closest she ever got to cooking anything out of the norm would be scrambled eggs, and even those had to be heavily doused in ketchup and cheese to even be considered 'edible'. Until tonight.

She never knew what propelled her to think she could approach cooking the same way she approached the internet, but after all a challenge was a challenge and she could never walk away with out saying she didn't at least give it all she had.

As she stood there with the open cookbook on the counter, flour all over the floor, and elbow deep in some concoction that in no way resembled the picture in the book, Garcia cursed herself for the thousandth time. Soufflé light and fluffy enough to melt in your mouth and melt the man of your dreams heart. Her Soufflé looked a little on the gray side, with the consistency of paint, but at least the batter tasted good. Okay, the directions didn't exactly call for a cup of sugar, but what could it hurt?

Now to pour it in the pan.

Greased pan, the edge lined with wax paper…oh crap! Did she have wax paper? Did anybody have wax paper anymore? As she poured the mixture, her brain suddenly flashed back to her mother making her lunch for school. Peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and mayo, strawberry jam and sharp cheddar cheese sandwiches wrapped in wax paper.

What was that sound?

Snapping out of her reverie, Pen looked to see the mixture overflowing from the pan onto the counter over to the floor. Crap and double crap! Setting the bowl down, she tried to stem the flow by brushing it away with a dish cloth. This was not happening! This couldn't be happening! She pleaded. Her one night to show her chocolate god of thunder that she was more than just a computer geek….

"Okay, Pen, get it together and think. What would Bill Gates do? Okay, he wouldn't be making a soufflé for his sort of boy-friend to show off because a) Bill Gates is married to a woman, and b) he can hire chefs to make a soufflé. Deep breath. Okay, I forgot to put the wax paper in, but it should be okay." She checked the directions. "Oven at 425, check. Soufflé in pan, check. Soufflé in oven, check."

Placing the dish in the oven, Pen closed the door and stood back. One part down, seven more to go. Clean the kitchen or set the table? Setting the table seemed the easiest of the seven. As she took the plates and glassware down, her brain dreamed of how the night was going to be. Romantic heaven on earth as Derek finally confessed his feelings to her.

She would play hard to get, of course, but not too much. Derek liked his women strong but not strong willed, and he liked them easy but not too easy. Pen knew that five years of bantering had put her in the middle. He had seen her at her best, her worst, and everything in between. Maybe she wasn't perfect, but she wasn't bad either.

Setting the table, Pen stepped back and admired her work. Perfect. Now she needed a shower. Checking her watch, she figured she had enough time to clean up before dinner was done.

Turning on the water, she stepped under the spray and let the hot water run down her back. Oh that was heaven! What prompted her to go from a quick shower to washing her hair, she would never know, but just as she was getting ready to rinse the suds, the smoke detector sounded. Jumping out of her skin, Pen nearly slipped and fell. Catching her fall, she felt something tear across her hand.

"Sweet mother board from hell!" she yelped. At that moment the hot water went out. Another yelp pierced the air. This could not be happening. It wasn't happening.

Shivering, she delicately tried to rinse the suds out as the pain in her hand grew and the smoke alarm got louder. Okay, some of the soap was still in her hair, but that noise was going to drive her crazy.

Turning off the water, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hair. Then she yanked on her robe and ran out the door. Grey smoke greeted her in the dining room. Oh crap! Dinner! Running over to the oven, she pulled down the door and was treated to a black cloud of what she was sure resembled bio-hazard waste.

Turning the knob to the oven, she tried to grab the dish and burned her hands. Biting back a curse, she reached over and raised the window. Almost immediately the smoke was sucked out and she could actually see the floor. But dinner was ruined.

A knock on the front door caught her by surprise. Oh lord! It was Morgan!

"Come in," offered as she tried to tie the belt to her robe. Nothing had gone right. Now he was early.

"Baby girl?" Morgan called out.

"In here."

"Good god, what happened in here?" He took a look at the counters, the oven, the concoction and the lingering smoke. "I didn't know you were fumigating."

Pen could handle everything from dead bodies to internet viruses, but teasing from Derek was too much. Considering how her evening had turned out, crying was the least of her embarrassments. Burying her face in her hands, Pen began bawling. In an instant, Derek was by her side.

"Baby girl…Penelope, I was just kidding. Look at me." He put a finger under chin. "Honestly, what happened in here?"

"I was trying to cook," she confessed between sobs.

"Trying being the imperative word, right?" There was no teasing in his tone.

"It's not fair; I can clean a mother board out and hack in to the Secret Service database, but I can't cook a simple meal for you."

"What were you trying to make?"

"A soufflé."

Morgan sucked in his breath. "A souffle? Baby girl, I don't mean any disrespect, but I think you tried to bite off more than you could chew with that one."

"What do you mean? It seemed easy enough."

"It's like going from a typewriter to a Mac overnight," he commented in the only way she could understand. "And no one showing you how to boot it up or download."

"But I wanted to make you the perfect dinner."

"I'm sure you did." He looked at her outfit. "You've explained the kitchen, but what the hell happened to you?"

"I went to take a shower. While I rinsed my hair, the smoke detector went off and so did the hot water."

Morgan pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Baby girl, there is never a dull moment with you, is there?"

"I wanted to impress you."

"You did just by trying." He went to kiss her hand and saw the cut. "What is this?"

"I slipped in the shower and caught my hand on broken tile."

"Stay there." Morgan left the kitchen and went to the bathroom. Emerging a few seconds later with a band-aid, he took her hand and apply the sticky gauze. Then he kissed it tenderly. "Feel better?" At her nod, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

While Pen stood still she listened to him place an order for two large pizzas and breadsticks.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"You tried to make my evening a success, now I'm returning the favour. Remember, Baby Girl, when in doubt, call Pizza Hut. I'm only picky about my drink." Dipping his head, he placed a sweet gentle kiss on her lips. "Now go get something a little more practical on."

Touching her mouth, Pen nodded. Walking out of the kitchen she started down the hallway. She stopped when she heard his voice.

"Practical doesn't mean complicated to remove." Pen turned to look at him. "If you know what I mean," he winked.

Smiling softly, she did. The evening had definitely turned out better than even she could imagine. And it was going to get even better.


End file.
